Notice Me

by Lili Lam

Tristan's POV

  Sitting on the plane my thoughts trailed back to the only thing that seemed to consume my mind these days, Lise. My heart ached deep within my chest thinking about not being able to keep my promise of bringing everyone home safely. In situations this dangerous, especially when it comes to dealing with rogues. You can never foretell the future of what will occur.

  Refusing to lie to her, I presented her with a way more reasonable commitment, telling her I'd try my damned hardest and that's exactly what I planned on doing. I held Lise in my arms for an entire hour before leaving. Not wanting to leave her just as much as she didn't want me to go. She sat quietly the entire time on my lap outside my parent's house. Rocking back and forth on the porch wicker chair, we sat in comfortable silence.

  Each of us cherishing every last minute we had with one another. This will be my first time being away from her for more then a few hours. My wolf was going stir crazy needing for her to come along. But, that’s not a risk I'm willing to gamble with. I'd rather know she's home safe instead of worrying about her being within a hundred feet of the rogue leader...that sick bastard.

  Who in the right mind kidnaps someone over infatuation and lust? Guess I answered my own question right there. Nobody in the right mind...would kidnap anyone. Before leaving I made Max swear to me on his most precious possession...which happens to be his stuffed penguin, Chilly Willy...that he'd protect my girl with his life.

  I swore if one hair on her head was harmed, there would be hell to pay. Max knows I wasn't kidding him when I said I'd rip Willy apart, flipper by flipper. He's had that damn stuffed penguin since we were four and he still sleeps with it till this day. Not something a teenage guy should be doing, but who am I to judge? It was a souvenir from our trip to Sea World. Max's Grandpa took all of us boys there when we went to visit with our parents one summer. We each got to pick one souvenir and that's what Max chose. It was the last time we saw Pops before he died.

  The car ride to the airport was filled with nothing but energy, everyone was so amped up and ready for battle. When we pulled up in front of the plane, it was almost as if you could hear a pin drop. That's how quiet it got as we all eyed the most pristine piece of metal before us.

  Gee, these people must be loaded. Parked in front of us was a shiny sixteen-seat black Gulfstream G550. This is one hell of a custom plane if I've ever seen one and trust me when I say I've never seen one with my own eyes, only on TV! The logo on the side read Manzanares, which I'm taking a wild guess here…is the name of their pack. For a pack to have their own personal jet, that's money right there.

  Don't get me wrong, our pack has unlimited resources and we're all pretty well off. I guess we just weren't too flashy about it, we don’t live beyond our means. However, the thought of having our own private jet was enticing. I should discuss the idea with Dad, maybe I could talk him into investing in one.

  Making our way into the plane, the only words I can use to describe the inside is luxury and extravagance. Four sets of black leather seats lined each of the sides, while two black leather couches were built into either end of the interior. A huge flat screen TV was mounted right into the wall of the plane along with a bar area with complimentary stools drilled into the floor!

  "Hot damn I could get used to something like this!" Jordan cried throwing himself down onto one of the sofas crossing his feet at the ankles and tucking his hands behind his head.

  "Please, make yourselves at home." Alpha Perez announced as he walked over to the bar area to pour himself a drink.

  "There's a bathroom back in this area complete with a shower and a bedroom in case anyone would like to rest." Rico chimed in while pointing out the remaining areas.

  "We truly appreciate all of your help in getting Mia back. Please let either myself or Rico know if you need anything at all." Alpha Perez commented with appreciation evident in his voice. You could almost see the amount of stress he's been through, the man looks like he could use a few days sleep, but being an excellent Alpha entails never cracking under pressure.

  I spent the entire flight there drawing out a blue print for our plan of attack with Axel and Jett's help. They described the area surrounding the camp precisely. "We'll split up in three groups." I began, explaining the plan. "Group one will be Marco, Axel, Rico, Troy, and myself. We strike from the front."

  "Jett, Alonso, Luke, and Lance will be group two. You'll sneak in from behind." I declared as I pointed at the map to the area behind the camp that ran along the river.

  "Gabe, Jordan, Andre and Sal you make up the final group. It's your duty to guard Alpha Perez. Make sure he gets to Mia safely." I finished off, looking each of them in they eye making sure they all understood their duty.

  Our current destination is Bemidji, Minnesota. We planned on landing there where we'll shift and run the two-hour distance to sneak our way into the Rainy Lake territory. Bemidji is surrounded by three separate reservations, it's the home to three individual packs called Red Lake, White Earth, and Leech Lake. My Dad called me to notify us that he contacted the Alpha of each pack to alert them of our arrival and our reason for being on their territory. I suppose Alpha Perez gave him the number to the phone on the plane. How else would he know where to get a hold of me?

  "Just to give you an update, she's doing fine son." Dad reassured me referring to Lise. "Tell Luke, Anya's ok too. Last Max checked, they're both asleep." It was a relief to know that she's not awake worrying her pretty little head about me. That's not what I'd want for Lise. She deserves to live her life accordingly.

  "Thanks Dad." I said leaning my head back and twisting it from side to side in an attempt to relieve some of the tension from my shoulders.

  "Anytime...and son, make me proud out there. Get some rest, we love you." Dad commented before hanging up. Looking around I noticed everyone aside from Alpha Perez and Marco was asleep. They needed to be fully rested in order to fight.

  Alpha Meraz of the White Earth Pack was kind enough to allow us permission onto his land to regroup and prepare for our attack on the rogues. We decided to wait until nightfall to attack, we'll be able to move around easily unnoticed. They won't know what hit them when we raid their camp.

  Departing the plane, we filed out and got into a passenger van which was sent to pick us up and bring us directly to the White Earth Indian Reservation. The streets of Bemidji were filled with people strolling about happily. Our van driver notified us locals come from all around to take part in the town's water carnival.

  We drove through several towns before the driver took a turn down a dirt-covered road driving deep within the Forrest. Coming to a stop in front of what resembled an enormous sized log cabin, there was no doubt in my mind that this is the pack house.

  Standing outside awaiting our arrival was Alpha Meraz, I instantly recognized the Alpha power flowing off him in waves. "Welcome to White Earth Reservation, I'm Alpha Meraz." He said stepping forward to greet us with a smile. Shaking each of our hands, we all took the liberty of introducing ourselves.

  When we finished, Alpha Meraz turned to face the two wolves that were flanking him when we first arrived. "This is Kelcey, my pack's Luna." Alpha Meraz boasted as he stared at his mate lovingly. "And next to her is my Beta, Steve."

  Kelcey gave everyone a small wave and a friendly smile, saying "Hello. Just let me know if you guys need anything." She added kindly.

  "It’s nice to meet you all. When's this fight going down?" Steve asked with interest. Why would he be interested in knowing? We didn't expect help from any of the packs on the reservations. Their hospitality was more than enough for us.

  "At nightfall." Marco answered with a curt nod. In the mean time Alpha Meraz and Kelcey led us into the pack house and showing us where we could shower and rest.

  "Good, because we want in on the action." Alpha Meraz growled turning around to face us. "We need to take these rogues out before they start making their way over here."

  Chapter 36: Pandemonium